


Beneath Your Bones

by melodramatic



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: (sort of) slow build, Bone marrow transplant donor, Chemoradiation therapy, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Online Friends, Severe Aplastic Anemia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-17 21:11:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10602318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodramatic/pseuds/melodramatic
Summary: Josh would give anything to help Tyler survive.Including part of himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to set the scene

Tyler was a relatively normal kid.

He had his friends at school that he hung out with on weekends, and he tried to balance his free time between his laptop and his ukulele.

He loved his ukulele dearly, and his family always found it funny, considering none of them were musically inclined. In the end, though, it made sense.

His parents never hid the fact that he was adopted. So the fact that he was inclined towards things that none of them were, didn't boggle their minds for too long.

Still, they liked to bother him for the way he would spend hours in his room lying on his bed and playing an online game. His mother would knock on his door, telling him he should go out and get some sunlight.

He'd go out later, he always told her.

He never did.

But it wasn't because he didn't enjoy the outdoors - he did. He loved the thick trees, the fresh flowers, and the scent of rain that always seemed to linger for days even after the rain had stopped. For all seventeen of his years, he had thought Ohio was beautiful, but it just didn't catch his attention as readily as the online game on his screen.

It was tactical, it required strategy, and he didn't understand why he was constantly being upstaged by the same player, after about two months of playing the game.

Tyler considered himself to be pretty good at it - he had gotten the hang of the controls, the operations, so when a username that he didn't recognize joined his team, he shrugged. 

 _As long as he doesn't get in my way_ , Tyler thought.

But he did a lot more than get in Tyler's way.

He took over the team, he killed more men than Tyler knew they were up against, and he was always suggesting a better plan than Tyler could come up with.

_Spookyjim: @semiautomatic41 what are you doing?_

Tyler squinted at the chat box in the corner of the screen and frowned.

_Semiautomatic41: @spookyjim I'm going through the main building to infultrate the enemy base._

_Spookyjim: @semiautomatic41 dude, dont do that. youre gonna get yourself killed and probably a few of us. go through the top window_

Tyler rolled his eyes. There was no way this guy had been playing this game longer than Tyler had, as he only recently joined their ranks. 

Tyler knew what he was doing. He knew that if he walked right through the main building, his gun was good enough with range that he could kill several of the enemies before they even had a chance to touch him. And by then, there would be enough of his team there to back him up, that he'd be able to make it through the entire base.

He had it all thought out in his head.

So he was very surprised when he stepped through the enemy doors, and it only took a seconds before a sheet of red covered his screen, and large text fanned out, reading: YOU HAVE DIED.

Tyler put his face in his hands and groaned in frustration. It bothered him more that Spookyjim had been right than the fact that he actually died.

He poked one eye through the cracks between his fingers to look at the chat box in the corner of his screen.

_Spookyjim: @semiautomatic41 told you_

Tyler groaned again and closed his laptop screen in frustration, immediately regretting his decision. He wanted to keep playing, but he was being annoyed by the new player that could actually kick ass.

So he tried to shrug it off as he got up from his room and headed to the kitchen, deciding to do some angry eating.

He yanked the refrigerator door open and his sister looked at him with a cocked eyebrow from where she was trying to open a bottlecap.

"You alright?" She asked.

Tyler just shot her a look and took out their microwaveable waffles. 

"Did someone finally beat you in that game?" She asked again, smiling in satisfaction when the bottlecap popped off.

"He didn't beat me. We were on the same team," Tyler admitted, shoving the waffles into the toaster and yanking the lever down, "He just kept... showing off."

His sister opened her eyes wide and nodded slowly in mock sympathy.

"So he's better than you?" She asked, taking a swig of her drink.

Tyler scoffed, "I'd hardly say he was better than me."

"Whatever you say, Ty."

"Shut up, Madison."

She simply laughed and patted him on the back, as she headed back into the living room.

Tyler waited for his waffles with a frown on his face, and the second they popped up he grabbed them and headed back to his room, where he reopened his laptop and clicked back into the game, choosing the same mode he had exited from.

_YOUR TEAM:_

_Hunterx33  
_

_King_noscope_

_Darkshadow654_

_Spookyjim_

When Tyler read the last name on the screen he gritted his teeth, and let his waffles sit to the side. This time, he was not going to let Spookyjim upstage him.

He focused with his face far closer to the screen than was necessary as he ran right back into the enemy base, going through the back window this time. 

He couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied when a message on the side of his screen popped up saying that Spookyjim had been killed by a member of the opposite team.

_Semiautomatic41: @spookyjim should've gone through the back window_

_Spookyjim: @semiautomatic41 whatever, dude_

Tyler smirked to himself and continued moving through the enemy's base, killing enemy after enemy and searching for their object to capture. He had finally found the basement and their object to take when someone came up behind him and he turned his character around, ready to shoot.

The nametag above the character read Spookyjim.

Tyler sighed and rolled his eyes. Really, he should take their object to capture since he found it, but he knew the second he touched it, he'd be the main target of their enemies.

_Semiautomatic41: @spookyjim take the flag_

_Spookyjim: @semiautomatic41 no way. You take it. I'll take it from you when you die on the way back to base_

_Semiautomatic41: @spookyjim when I die?_

_Spookyjim: @semiautomatic41 yeah, when you die_

_King_noscope: @spookyjim @semiautomatic41 SOMEONE JUST TAKE THE FLAG AND GET BACK TO BASE_

Tyler huffed a breath from his nose. He refused to relent. This other new guy could take it, if he wanted to. Tyler would take it when he inevitably died on the way back to their base, and then he would get all of the credit.

They were both to stubborn to make the first move, though, but it didn't matter soon enough, as three enemies busted through the basement door and killed both Tyler and the other player right on the spot.

Once again, Tyler's screen faded into red as the same text from before flashed on his screen. He looked down at the chat bar.

_King_noscope: @spookyjim @semiautomatic41 nice job guys. sarcasm intended_

_Spookyjim: @semiautomatic41 hey from now on let's just work together_

Tyler crossed his arms for a second and thought. They were on the same team, after all. And they probably could've pulled the mission off had they not been intent on being better than the other. Reluctantly, Tyler typed.

_Semiautomatic41: @spookyjim yeah, sure_

_Spookyjim: @semiautomatic41 *virtual handshake*_

Tyler chuckled.

_Semiautomatic41: @spookyjim *virtually accepts handshake*_

Suddenly, the game chimed and he looked in the opposite corner to see that someone had invited him to a private chat.

_User Spookyjim would like to chat privately with you. Accept?_

Tyler clicked to the right.

_(9:20) Spookyjim: Hey, you gonna play another round?_

_(9:20) Semiautomatic41: Yeah, probably. You?_

_(9:21) Spookyjim: Yeah_

_(9:21) Semiautomatic41: Okay. See you out there_

Tyler minimized the chat and went right back into the game. When him and the other user worked together, they were really good. The used the team chat to devise strategies, and then their private chat to complain about the other players on their team.

It was rather refreshing, actually. It was a unique experience, but Tyler liked it. 

After three more successful rounds, his mother knocked on the door, letting him know that it was time for them to eat dinner. 

Tyler called out that he'd be there in a second, and he opened his private chat with the other player.

_(10:05) Semiautomatic41: Hey, I have to go. You gonna play tomorrow?_

_(10:08) Spookyjim: Yeah. Probably around the same time again. You?_

_(10:09) Semiautomatic41: Yeah, I'll be back tomorrow_

_(10:09) Spookyjim: Cool, see you then :)_

Tyler chuckled again and exited out of the chat and powered down his laptop, going to go sit down at the dinner table. His siblings each engaged each other in conversation, and his parents jumped from the kid's conversation to their own, and Tyler remained silent the entire time. All that was on his mind was the different tactics he could try next time, and the different things he wanted to run by Spookyjim.

They were a team now - the two of them.

And Tyler couldn't deny that he liked the idea of having at least one consistent member on his team. 

He smirked as he took another bite of broccoli.

::::

The next time Tyler logged onto the game, he cheered under his breath when the names of his team members popped up.

_YOUR TEAM:_

_King_noscope_

_Firstoddface_

_Themaster360_

_Spookyjim_

Tyler smirked as the game chimed with a notification at the bottom of his screen.

_(7:03) Spookyjim: Dude this match is gonna be sick_

_(7:03) Semiautomatic41: Hell yeah_

They played the same way they always did. In sync, coordinated, and better than everyone else. Soon enough, people were exiting out of the game as soon as they realized that they were up both Spookyjim and Semiautomatic41. It was both satisfying and annoying, but either way, Tyler had fun talking about it in their private chat.

_(7:32) Semiautomatic41: Dude did you see that?_

_(7:35) Spookyjim: Yeah. The other team forfeit already LOL. I guess we're just too good_

Tyler chuckled from behind his screen and was about to minimize the private chat when another sentence popped up.

_(7:35) Spookyjim: Hey what's your name?_

Tyler squinted his eyes and pursed his lips for a moment, before he cautiously typed. 

_(7:37) Semiautomatic41: Tyler. You?_

_(7:38) Spookyjim: I'm Josh. Nice to officially meet you, tyler :)_

_(7:40) Semiautomatic41: haha you too. Wanna play another round?_

_(7:40) Spookyjim: You read my mind_

Tyler laughed out loud and shook his head, minimizing the chat. A small smile stayed on his face as he started playing another round with Josh. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he decided that he wanted this to become routine. He liked playing this game in general, yes, but he also liked playing with Josh.

Together, they were unstoppable. 

And it sounded so cool in Tyler's head.

They could even have a cool name.

Tyler rolled his eyes at himself and disregarded the thought entirely, continuing to play the game.

There was another chime and Tyler reopened the chat.

_(8:11) Spookyjim: So how long have you been playing this game?_

_(8:11) Semiautomatic41: Umm, a few months now. Not too long. You?_

_(8:13) Spookyjim: i just started playing it two weeks ago_

_(8:15) Semiautomatic41: woah seriously? You're really good for only a few weeks_

_(8:15) Spookyjim: haha thanks bro. have you tried the other modes or do you like this one the best?_

And with that, neither of them were really paying attention to the game anymore. At first, Tyler would minimize the chat, continue playing the game for a few minutes, and then reply to whatever message Josh had sent. Except their conversation got to the point where neither of them were actually in the game anymore. They were both still on the title screen, their chat taking up the whole screen.

They were talking about the game for awhile, but it quickly devolved into other hobbies, which quickly devolved again into what their lives were like.

Tyler came to find that Josh was actually a pretty interesting person. He loved to play the drums, and he told Tyler not to call him lame for still living with his parents even though he was 18.

Tyler chuckled and told Josh not to worry, because he was 18 and he still lived with his parents. Even though he couldn't see him, he pictured a young man laughing at Tyler's response. 

He decided right then and there he like talking with Josh, and he'd like to do it more often. 

There was a knock on his door, and then it opened before he could even respond. 

"Ty, Jeopardy is on. Are you gonna watch with us?" His brother asked.

Tyler was taken aback, and he checked the time.

8:32p.m.

Wow, him and Josh had been talking for hours. He didn't even realize it.

Jeopardy was the family thing - they always watched it together whenever they could. And being as though it was a Saturday, and Tyler really had no excuse to say no.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec," He said, going back to his laptop.

His brother looked at him for another second, and then dissapeared back into the living room.

_(8:33) Semiautomatic41: Ah, I gotta get going. Time to watch Jeopardy with the family._

_(8:34) Spookyjim: oh okay. are you gonna be playing tomorrow?_

_(8:35) Semiautomatic41: Not sure yet. Got some schooling I have to finish up for finals. I'll try, though_

_(8:35) Spookyjim: Okay, no pressure. just wondering_

_(8:35) Semiautomatic41: Alright, then. I'll talk to you later :)_

_(8:36) Spookyjim: Bye :)_

Tyler sighed and exited out of the game and powered down his laptop. His lap was burning from where the device had been resting for hours, unbeknownst to Tyler. 

He got up and groaned at the soreness of his butt.

Geeze, he really needed to get out more.

He went into the living room to see his entire family on the couch, a bowl of popcorn being passed around between them.

"Hey, look who finally decided to get out of his room!" He father said, only half-joking.

Tyler didn't know why his neck started heating up, but he didn't really respond, just smiled and sat down in the middle of the couch and began taking part in the popcorn sharing.

He hardly payed any attention to the show - instead, he thought of Josh and everything they had talked about. The boy seemed really nice, and Tyler vaguely wished he could meet him in real life someday.

But, then again, he had only been talking to him for a few days. So for all he knew, Josh could be lying about everything. 

For now, though, it was nice to think that Josh was actually a fellow 18-year-old who enjoyed playing drums and playing video games.

Tyler hardly noticed when the TV transitioned from Jeopardy to the commercial break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two coming soon. i'd love to know what you think :)


	2. Chapter 2

For the next few weeks, there was hardly a day that you couldn't find Tyler typing away on his laptop. He tried to go on it as often as possible, him and Josh become virtually inseperable. The only time they weren't talking was when one of them was at school, because neither of their laptops ever left their rooms.

The only downside, however, was that Tyler would be at home for hours and not even realize that Josh had responded to his message. He even started to feel bad when he would open his computer to find that he had a message from Josh that had been recieved several hours ago.

So he would sigh and type out an apology, and a few hours later, he'd get a similar apology from Josh.

There was one day when it was the worse, though. Tyler was so busy with school work he hadn't been on his laptop in almost two full days, and he cursed loudly at himself when he remembered Josh.

_(3:30) Semiautomatic41: Dude, I'm so sorry. This stupid computer never notifies me when I have a message._

_(4:45) Spookyjim: dont worry about it. i never get notifications either, this chat box sucks_

Tyler pursed his lips and very timidly typed out his next message.

_(5:01) Semiautomatic41: Well, if you want you can give me your number? I'm a lot more regular with my texts than my chat box messages aha_

_(5:13) Spookyjim: Yeah, sure!_

They exchanged information, and Tyler was sure his vision was getting worse with how much he was on his phone, texting Josh. From dawn till dusk, Tyler was typing away at his screen, always engaged in some sort of attention-grabbing conversation.

He was sure it was simply because they were new friends, and that their slight obession with each other would fade.

Except it didn't.

Three months later, and they were still chatting every single day from the moment they woke up till the moment they laid their heads to rest. Luckily enough, they were in the same time zone, so they both said goodmorning to each other around reasonable times, and goodnight to each other at reasonable times.

Four months later, when they had both been out of school for a while now, they tried video chatting for the first time. They set a time and date, and Tyler couldn't lie when he said he was a bit nervous. He ran a comb through his hair at least five times within one minute, and he changed his shirt at least four times before he finally settled on just a black hoodie that read "OHIO" in ascending, and then descending letters.

When he finally logged onto Skype and typed in Josh's username, his hands had broken out into a cold sweat and, really he shouldn't have been so nervous. Josh had sent him funny selfies, pictures of himself in his favorite outfit, and vice versa. So they both already knew what to expect.

Still.

It was nerve-wracking.

He put his earbuds in and clicked the button to call Josh, taking a deep breath, which he didn't release he had held in until a grainy picture formed on his screen, getting more and more clear by the second.

Finally, when they saw each other, they both smiled largely and Tyler tried hard not to think about how insanely attractive this man had proved to be. 

"Tyler!"

"Josh!"

Tyler laughed, and Josh reciprocated his action. 

"I can't believe this is the first time I'm hearing your voice. This is so weird," Tyler said, trying his best to stifle the smile that only betrayed him by growing.

"I know right? Your voice is a lot more... creaky than I imagined," Josh admitted.

Tyler scoffed and acted offended, "Creaky!?"

"No, don't take it as an insult! It's a compliment. Your voice is very unique," He said, and Tyler thought he saw his cheeks turn red for a moment.

Nevertheless, he laughed and then shrugged, "It's alright, I was just playing. I know my voice is weird."

"A good weird, though. I like it."

Tyler blushed despite his best efforts not to. He really did like Josh.

"What were you doing before I called?" Tyler asked, shifting himself so that his laptop was on the bed and he was lying on his stomach, propping his chin up with his hands.

Josh shrugged, "Nothing much," He reached somewhere off screen and brought a bowl of what looked like Mac and Cheese to his chest, and he took a bite, "Was eating dinner. You?"

Tyler's eyes flicked to the other side of his bed where his ukulele was sitting, "I was just playing my ukulele."

"Ooh!" Josh's eyes lit up and he set his bowl back to the side, "Can you play me something?"

Tyler chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yeah! I've never actually heard you play before," He said, clearly excited.

"Well... alright, if you want," Tyler relented. He popped his earbuds out of his ears and then out of his laptop, reaching across his bed for his ukulele. 

He sat criss-cross, in the same position Josh seemed to be in, and strummed a random chord.

"What do you want to hear?" He asked.

Josh shrugged, "What do you like playing the most?"

Tyler thought of the songs he had written himself, but he had never showed anybody those songs, and he was not planning to start now.

So he bit his lip and began strumming a song that Josh thought he might've heard before, but wasn't sure. 

Still, he sat quietly and let Tyler finish.

"That was beautiful," He commented softly.

Tyler smiled to himself and looked down at his keyboard, "Thank you."

"What song was it?"

"It was, uh," _Can't Help Falling In Love_ , "I don't remember, actually." 

Josh laughed, "You can't remember the name to the song that you just played?"

Tyler shook his head, "No, not really."

Josh laughed again and it was definitely the most beautiful laugh Tyler had ever heard. Goodness, he really needed to calm himself down. 

Their conversation continued for awhile, and it consisted of far too many smiles, and far too many pink/red cheeks. 

The sun had set long ago before they were each wishing the other a good night.

And Tyler really tried to sleep, but his thoughts were consumed by Josh. 

(He didn't want to admit that he didn't mind.)

::::

Everytime Tyler logged onto his game and saw the little green dot by Josh's name, he couldn't help shifting his position in excitement. 

::::

They had been video chatting for two months when Tyler started to feel funny. 

Sometimes their conversations were endless and invigorating, and other times they just kept each other company while the other was doing something. 

Either way, they avidly enjoyed each other's company, and logged onto Skype as often as possible. 

There were times when Tyler couldn't sleep and he would use his phone and call Josh until he woke up.

The boy would answer with a groggy voice, but he always answered, nontheless. He would ask Tyler why he couldn't sleep, he would ask him what was wrong, he would ask him anything.

And there wasn't anything Tyler held back. In some odd way, Josh understood him more than anyone else had, even though they had never even met face-to-face. 

Josh listened and listened until the sun came up. And right when Tyler would start to apologize for keeping him up so late, Josh would stop him.

"Don't worry about it," He'd say, "I like talking to you. Seriously. You're my best friend."

And the assurance that he wasn't being a bother made Tyler's heart soar. After that, he'd thank Josh again for listening to him, Josh would reply with something sweet, and they'd both try to sleep soundly through the rest of the night. 

There was one day, though, that they were video chatting like regular - Tyler had his laptop on his lap, and so did Josh as they chatted about anything and everything. 

Tyler wasn't sure why, but he had not been feeling his best that day. He was unusually exhausted, and hardly had the strength to continue the chat with Josh. He changed his position so that he was laying on his stomach with the laptop in front of him, and he had his earbuds in so that Josh's rambling voice was in his ears.

His eyes fluttered shut as Josh was going on about something about his drums; Tyler wanted to pay attention - he really was interested. He loved hearing about anything Josh was passionate about.

But for some reason, he just couldn't keep his eyes open.

Josh noticed, and he stopped talking mid-gesture and waited until Tyler realized enough to open his eyes back up.

"Are you okay, Ty?" He asked.

Tyler nodded and yawned, sniffling, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Tired?"

He nodded, "Exhausted. Not sure why, though. I got plenty of sleep last night." He sniffled again, his nose suddenly feeling wet. Maybe he had the flu.

Without bothering to look, he swiped his hand across his nose and opened his eyes fully so that he could give Josh his full attention.

"Sorry. What were you saying? About how your cymbal cracked?" Tyler asked, proud of himself for at least paying partial attention.

Josh didn't respond. Instead, he squinted at Tyler through the screen, and Tyler cocked an eyebrow.

"Uh... I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure your nose is bleeding," He said.

Tyler's eyebrows furrowed and he looked down at his hands which were, of course, covered in blood. How did he not notice that?

"Oh," He said, rather surprised, "Um. Well, crap. I'll be right back." He took the earbuds from his ear and left his room, going right into the bathroom. He washed his hands and then wadded up some toilet paper and held it against his nose, vaguely wondering if he had sniffled too hard or something. That probably wasn't very likely, but he didn't have much else to base his nosebleed off of.

He stood there for about a minute with his head tilted back, but when he took the toilet paper from his nose, the bleeding hadn't stopped or slowed down.

And suddenly, there was a bit of fear somewhere beneath his skin.

He went back into his room and sat down in front of his laptop, the toilet paper still against his nose.

"Um, I think I have to go," He said to Josh who had waited patiently.

"Oh," Josh was a bit dissapointed but, of course, he understood, "Okay. Well, hey, let me know if you're alright when the bleeding stops. Call me or text me or something."

"I will. I'm sure I'm fine, it's probably nothing," Tyler responded, his voice slightly muffled.

"Well, still. Let me know."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

Tyler ended the call and went right back into the bathroom, perching himself on top of the counter next to the sink amd replacing wad of toilet paper after wad of toilet paper, each one more soaked in blood than the last.

After about half an hour, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Are you okay, Tyler?" His mother asked, "You've been in there for awhile."

He hopped down from the counter to opened the door, and his mother gasped.

"What happened to you?"

He shrugged, "Not sure. I was just video chatting with Josh and then my nose randomly started bleeding."

She lifted his chin so that he was now looking directly at the ceiling, "Keep your head tilted high, sweetheart. You're sure you didn't do anything to cause this?"

Tyler nodded, "I'm sure."

His mother sighed, "Alright, well. Just go lay down, okay? Keep your head up, and I'll come check on you in a little bit."

"Okay," He said, as he headed back into his room, and carefully settling himself into his bed. His eyes began to flutter close again, but he forced them to stay open as he picked up his phone and typed out a message with one hand. 

( _7:30) Tyler: Nose is still bleeding :(_

_(7:31) Josh: still? do you know why?_

_(7:31) Tyler: No idea. I'm sure it's nothing though. I think i'm just gonna head to sleep_

_(7:33) Josh: This early?_

_(7:33) Tyler: Yeah. I'm really tred_

_(7:33) Tyler: *tired_

_(7:35) Josh: Alright. Well have a good night. I'll talk to you tomorrow :)_

_(7:35) Tyler: Till tomorrow :)_

Tyler plugged his phone into it's charger, and he laid his head back against his pillow, falling asleep the second he shut his eyes.

He didn't get to sleep very long, though, before he was being shaken awake.

"Tyler, get up. You got blood everywhere. You need to go wash yourself off."

He blinked himself awake and brought his head up, looking down at himself. His bloody napkin had been tossed to the side, and there blood staining his hands, his shirt, and his blanket. 

He groaned in frustration as he stood up and headed into the bathroom again, a falter in his step from where he had gotten a bit dizzy.

He peeled his clothes off and cracked the door open slightly to hand them to his mother, as she was going to wash his blanket, his sheets, and his clothes. 

The shower water was hot, and he scrubbed at every part of his body that had been stained. His nose had seemed to stop bleeding, which was good, but he still scrubbed only lightly around his mouth and his nose, making sure not to get it irritated again.

By the time he had stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, his mother handed him a fresh pair of pajamas and a new bedsheet.

"Here," She said, "These'll have to do until your other ones are dry."

Tyler nodded and took them back to his room where he slowly got dressed, his mind still partially fuzzy.

He picked up the fitted sheet and went to go put it on his bed. 

He just wanted to get some sleep.

But, clearly, that was not going to happen. He tripped on air on his way to his bed and landed face-first into the carpet. Immediately, he raised his hand to nose. 

No blood.

Thank God.

His bedroom door swung open, "Are you okay?" His mother asked. 

He nodded, "I'm fine. Just kinda dizzy. And tired. I just want to sleep," He said from the floor where he hadn't picked himself up yet.

His mother clicked her tongue and helped Tyler up, and then put the sheet on his mattress for him, letting him settle into bed before she tucked him in. 

"You don't have to tuck me in, y'know," Tyler said, but his words were already slurring as he began to fall asleep, "'m not a kid."

"Well, you're still my son. And you're not feeling well, so let me help you, okay?" She retaliated, pushing fringe from his eyes.

He yawned, "Okay. Night, mom."

"Night, Tyler."

It wasn't even 9:00 yet, and on any other night he would most likely still be up chatting with Josh, but on this night, he fell asleep before Josh could even enter his mind.

::::

Tyler woke up in the morning feeling only a tiny bit better. He was still dizzy, but only really in his step: his mind was relatively clear of the mental fog he had been in last night, so he could chalk that up to a minor victory.

But he blinked hard when he caught himself in the mirror. 

There appeared to be a... rash? Something was breaking out all over his skin. They started around the base of his neck and were small and a mix between a dark purple and a dark red. Tyler looked down and lifted his shirt to reveal even more rash-like dots scattered around his torso. 

His face contorted. They didn't hurt, they didn't itch, they were just kind of there.

Right above his hips there were bruises, too. He wasn't sure where the bruises would have come from but that was hardly his concern at the moment.

He walked into the kitchen where his mother was making herself coffee before she headed to work.

"Mom?" He asked, figuring his father had already left to work.

"Hey, Ty. How are you feeling?" She asked, only flicking her eyes towards him for a second.

"Um, still kinda dizzy. But there's, like, these weird bumps all over my body."

She looked fully towards him and stopped what she was doing, "Huh? Where?"

He gripped the end of his shirt and lifted it like he had done to himself in the mirror just minutes ago.

Her eyes widened, "Oh, geeze. Where did those come from?"

Tyler shook his head and pulled his shirt back down, "No idea. They just appeared overnight."

His mother hummed and went back to what she was doing, "Well, while you're home today you can set an appointment with our doctor, alright? Try to get some sleep, too."

He nodded and headed back to his room, laying down in the same position he had woken up from.

Right as Tyler opened his phone, a notification chimed at the top of his screen.

_(8:10) Josh: Morning:) how are you feeling?_

Tyler smiled to himself as he typed out a response. 

_(8:11) Tyler: Could be better. Still dizzy. And now I have these weird, purple-ish bumps around my body._

_(8:12) Josh: Purple-ish bumps? That doesn't sound healthy_

_(8:12) Tyler: Yeah, I know. I'm gonna set an appointment with our doctor, too._

Tyler filled Josh in on everything else that was going on, and he secretly loved the fact that Josh was so interested in knowing more about his life. Tyler being adopted was pretty much the only thing that Josh didn't know, but then again, it was a rather irrelevant fact. It didn't at all impact the way he loved his family.

But it wasn't long before he sniffled again as a dull pain was set right behind his eyes.

He immediately put his hand under his nostrils and pulled it back - blood, again.

_(8:35) Tyler: Ugh, I'll be right back. Just got another nosebleed._

_(8:38) Josh: Another one?? Dude I feel so bad for you. I wish there was something I could do :(_

Tyler got up from his bed and caught himself right before he tripped on his way into the bathroom. He couldn't deny that he was a tiny bit angry with himself - within a matter of days he went from a regular, healthy young man to a tripping hazard with a tired soul and a great potential for a nosebleed. 

He let the anger stew inside of his heart for a little bit before his fatigue outweighed his anger, and suddenly he was dying to lay down again.

Thanfully, the nosebleed was a lot shorter this time, and he was back in bed within fifteen minutes.

_(8:55) Tyler: I think I might just fall back asleep._

_(9:01) Josh: Has your nose stopped bleeding?_

_(9:01) Tyler: Yeah. But I'm really tired again._

_(9:02) Josh: Alright. Pleeeaassee text me or call me when you wake up to let me know that you're okay_

_(9:03) Tyler: You know I will :) talk to you later_

_(9:03) Josh: Till later_

And once again, Tyler fell right back asleep before he could even plug his phone back into it's outlet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stay tuned for chapter three


	3. Chapter 3

Tyler sat in the doctor's office with his head back against the wall as he desperately tried to keep his eyes open. His heart was racing inside of his chest, but he had nothing to contribute it to.

Every time he thought he was on the brink of falling asleep, his mother would shake him awake and scold him for letting himself get to sleep so late.

"I went to bed at nine, mom," He said, a small bite in his tone.

She pursed her lips, "You fell asleep at nine, or got into bed and talked to Josh for hours at nine?"

Tyler sighed and looked the other way, waiting for a nurse to walk into the lobby and call his name. 

Eventually, she did, and both Tyler and his mother walked into the doctor's office, and when the doctor joined them, he had a twitch in his eye that made Tyler slightly uncomfortable.

"How are you both doing today?" He asked.

Tyler's mom shrugged, "We're alright. Just excited to see the results from the tests."

He nodded and sat down in front of his computer, and his fingers flew over the keyboard for several minutes, and they all sat in silence besides for a few questions that the doctor had for Tyler. 

"So, the results of your blood work was very interesting," He said, moving away from his computer to sit in front of the other two, "No one in your household smokes?"

Tyler and his mother both shook their heads.

"And there's no drug use?"

Again, they shook their heads.

"Well, usually someone with Tyler's symptoms comes from a household of that sort. Not always, obviously, but most of the time," He said.

Tyler's mom leaned forward in her chair, "So, what to his symptoms mean?"

The doctor went back to his computer without a word and printed a peice of paper, handing it to his mother.

"All of your symptoms are conducive of Aplastic Anemia," He stated simply.

His mother raised her eyebrow, and looked up from the piece of paper, "Aplastic Anemia? I've never even heard of that."

"I know. Most people haven't," The doctor went right back to his computer and clicked a few times, then looked at them again. 

"It's a very rare condition. And, to put it simply, it's brought on by some sort of damage to the bone marrow, in which the bone marrow becomes hypoplastic. His blood doesn't indicate any sort of exposure to radiation, drugs, or toxic chemicals. We're still waiting to hear back from one of the labs that we sent part of the blood work to, but it appears as if this damage may have been present at birth."

Tyler's mother reeled back and scoffed, "At birth? Wouldn't we have known if he had it at birth?"

The doctor shook his head and scratched beneath his twitching eye, "There are many conditions that are technically present a birth, but don't show themselves till much later on. And this is one of them."

Tyler looked down at the ground and swung his feet back and forth, and in the back of his mind he wondered how tall Josh was and if his feet would also swing when he sat down on a hospital bed.

He also wondered what this meant for him. Hopefully nothing bad.

He sniffled and took a paper towel from his pocket, placing it underneath his nose and tilting his head up, preemptively. He had found that when he treated the nose bleed before it actually started, it was typically shorter.

The doctor merely flicked his eyes toward him and then turned back to his mother.

"Don't worry, it is treatable. Despite the process being rather... extensive."

And from there, Tyler tuned out completely. He should've been interested in what was happening inside of his own body, but all he could think about was what Josh was doing at the moment.

He tilted his head back down once he felt the nosebleed had subsided, and took out his phone.

_(11:32) Tyler: turns out I have some rare bone marrow thing_

_(11:33) Josh: really? Is it serious?_

Tyler turned his attention back to the doctor right as he turned his attention to Tyler. 

"So, Tyler, there are medications I can give you to help you. The transplant can come when we find a donor that matches," The doctor stated, his hands in his lap.

"So, when's the earliest we could find a donor?" Tyler asked, his eyes flicking from his mother to the doctor.

"Well, it actually may be sooner than you think. You have siblings, right?" He asked, facing Tyler.

Tyler nodded.

"That's perfect, then. Since you're related, you'll most likely be a perfect match, and then the procedure can take place shortly after that."

Tyler's heart lifted for a moment before it fell twice as hard.

He wasn't related to his siblings.

His mother and he exchanged a look, before she turned back to the doctor.

"Um... Tyler's adopted, actually," She said, a bit of tiredness in her voice.

"Oh," The doctor breathed, looking down to the floor for a second, and then back up to the woman, "You don't have any contact with his birth parents?"

They both shook their heads.

"Well, then," The doctor ran a hand through his hair, "I guess we'll have to find an unrelated donor."

"That won't be a problem, will it?"

"The thing is, finding a donor is going to take longer than simply taking the marrow from a sibling, but what really concerns me is the survival rate. I'm going to be candid with you both, if that's okay. The survival rate of someone with a transplant from an unrelated donor is almost half of those with a related donor."

The room was silent for a moment. Tyler looked at his mother, but she did not look back at him. She ran her hands over her face, and then put them in her lap.

"You're sure there's no way you can contact his birth parents?" The doctor asked.

"No, there isn't a way," His mother stated, now a bit of bite in her tone, "We didn't even have contact with them when we adopted him. He was completely abandoned the second he came out of the womb."

The doctor sighed, and began explaining the process of finding another donor. It was going to be more difficult, but the man assured them both that this was going to be a top priority. The disorder was, indeed, fatal, so they were going to conact the donation center the second the two of them left the office make sure that they could stop the disorder before it could get too much worse.

Tyler's mother sighed, Tyler's stomach was sick, and the doctor perscribed Tyler the medicine he mentioned.

And as mother and son, they left the office rather unsatisfied. 

In silence they went to the pharmacy to fill Tyler's perscription, and in silence they drove home. 

Tyler immediately went into his room, taking out his laptop and shooting Josh a text to get on his.

He clicked into Skype, and kept refreshing the page until Josh's status read: "Online."

The second it did, he clicked the call button and watched Josh's image get clearer as the connected got stronger. 

"Hey," Tyler said, sitting with his laptop balanced on his knees so that the screen was relatively close to his face. 

"Hey," Josh replied, changing his position so that he was laying on his stomach, resting his chin on his hands, "So, what did the doctor tell you?"

"Um," Tyler began tracing a pattern into his thigh, "So I have Aplastic Anemia."

He waited for Josh to think for a second, and then let him shake his head, asking what that even meant.

"Well... wait, hold on," Tyler minimized the call so that it was only in the upper righthand corner of his screen, and then typed Aplastic Anemia into the internet search bar, clicking on one of the first results. 

"So, it's a condition in which the body stops producing enough new blood cells. It comes as a result of bone marrow damage."

Josh furrowed his eyebrows and moved marginally closer to the screen, "Well, that doesn't sound good."

Tyler sighed, "No, it's not good. I have to wait for them to find a match for my bone marrow before they can do any-" He yawned, mentally berating himself for feeling tired at such an early hour, "thing about it."

"How long will that take?" The other boy asked, frowning.

"Not sure yet."

"Well... it's not fatal, is it?"

Tyler internally groaned and put the webcam call back to full screen, not needing to scroll around the website for the answer for that question.

He rubbed his eyes and avoided looking directly into the camera, "Um... not yet it isn't."

Josh's face immediately contorted with concern and fear, "What do you mean not yet it isn't?"

"If they can find a donor quickly enough, then I'll be fine. But if it goes untreated for too long... Well, they just need to find a donor quickly."

Josh was silent for a moment, and Tyler felt like he was going to throw up.

Tyler watched closely as Josh looked somewhere off screen, and shift his position so that his laptop was now on a desk and he was sitting in a chair. He had the same expression in his eyes that he always had when his mind was running a thousand miles an hour, and Tyler couldn't deny that he was quite fond of it.

"What if I matched with you? I could donate. I could go right now. I cou-"

"Josh, wait, wait. You don't have to. Seriously. You might not even be a match. I don't want you to waste you time on something that might not even work."

"Tyler," Josh said, shifting in his chair. His expression turned serious, and it lit a small flame somewhere in the depths of Tyler' gut, "I want to do this. I want to do anything I can to help you. Now, tell me your address so I can find the nearest donation center."

Tyler bit his lip and paused. Oh, how lucky he was to have a friend like Josh.

"We live pretty far apart, y'know."

"That doesn't matter. Just tell me your address."

So Tyler sighed and told him. He watched as Josh typed around on his computer for a few minutes.

"Okay, so, the one nearest to you is in Cleveland."

"Wait, Josh, that's gotta be at least four hours from you. Are you sure there isn't one closer to you?" Tyler asked.

Josh shook his head, "Doesn't matter. I'll go to the one closer to you. They'll have the results quicker that way." He got up from his laptop, and went further back into his room, beginning to gather things and put them in a backpack.

Tyler squinted his eyes, "Wait, you're going now?"

"Yeah, of course. I don't have work tomorrow either, so I should be okay," He replied, not stopping from where he was gathering a few things.

All Tyler could do was watch him gather his things silently, his heart full of words that he wasn't sure Josh would want to hear.

"Josh?" He said quietly, silently hoping Josh didn't hear him.

But, of course, he did, and he immediately turned back to the laptop, "Yeah?"

"Thank you. Really. It... it means a lot. Even if you're not a match. Just - thanks," Tyler's cheeks began to heat up, and he knew Josh would be able to tell.

"You're welcome, Ty. _You_ mean a lot to me, so. The least I can do is try to help."

Tyler bit his lip again and pulled the hood from his sweater over his head, his heart softening at Josh's chuckle. He called Tyler cute under his breath (but just loud enough so that the microphone would pick it up), and Tyler didn't think his face could get any redder, or his smile any wider.

"Okay," He said, looking around his room and taking a deep breath, "I'm gonna head out onto the road."

Tyler nodded, "Call me when you get onto the freeway?"

"You know I will," Josh smirked, winking at him.

Tyler rolled his eyes fondly, and he was glad Josh couldn't see his entire torso heat up.

They said goodbye and ended the call, and Tyler sighed fondly. He was quite enamored by Josh. Maybe it was obvious, maybe it wasn't, but either way, he was really glad to have him in his life.

Even if his life was to end shortly.

The rock settled itself right back into Tyler's stomach as reality came back crashing down, and he felt sick. 

So he pulled the covers over his head and closed his eyes, anxiously waiting for his phone to ring.

Before it could, though, he heard his bedroom door open and someone entered, sitting down at the end of his bed.

Tyler pulled the covers down to his chin, to see his father sitting there, gently placing a hand on his arm.

"Hey. Just finished talking with your mother. She told me about your visit to the doctor's."

Tyler stayed silent, his eyes staring straight ahead at the wall.

"How are you feeling?"

He shrugged, and his father sighed.

There was a silence, and suddenly Tyler spoke up.

"Josh is going to donate bone marrow."

His father raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"Josh. My friend Josh. He's going to go donate bone marrow. He wants to help."

"How does he know he'll be a match?"

Tyler took the covers off of himself completely, sitting up to face his father head-on, "He doesn't. He just... he really wants to help."

His father hummed.

"He's my best friend, dad."

His father was silent.

"I really like him."

His father blinked once, twice, three times before the sentence seemed to register in his head.

"Like... as more than a friend?"

Tyler didn't hesitate before nodding.

His father sighed deeply, and then wrapped him into a tight hug. 

"Is that okay?" Tyler asked, pulling back. He realized that although he didn't really think much of his sexuality, he had never clued his parents in as to the type of people he tended to prefer.

But his father scoffed, "Tyler, of course it's okay. C'mon, you know your mother and I don't care if you have a crush on another guy."

And the rock in Tyler's gut seemed to get microscopically smaller as he breathed out deeply through his nose.

"I know. I was just making sure," He said, right as his phone rang.

He looked over and smiled at the caller ID.

His father patted him on top of the head, and then got up from his bed, "I'll let you take that. Just - try to get out of your room at some point today, alright?"

Tyler nodded, every word going over his head as his mind was now consumed with answering Josh's call.

When his father left the room and closed the door, Tyler buried himself back beneath his blankets and answered the call with a soft voice. 

"Are you okay?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," Tyler replied, his eyes fluttering closed as if to validate his point.

"Do you want me to let you sleep?" 

"No, no. I like hearing you talk. It's soothing," Tyler said with a smile in his voice.

Josh chuckled, "Alright." And he began to speak at lengths about what he had read on the internet about Aplastic Anemia, and Tyler only interuppted him once to warn him of the dangers of surfing the internet while driving. Josh simply shrugged it off, saying that that law was only for bad drivers, and he was not one of them.

Although the conversation was light, Tyler couldn't ignore the rock that still sat in his gut. So when there was a lull in their dialouge, he spoke up.

"Josh? What if there isn't a match?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like... what if they can't find a match in time?"

"Don't - don't talk like that. Please," Josh asked, his voice only wavering slightly, "They'll find a match. They have to. There's no way they won't."

"Okay, but even then, the doctor said that the survival rate is way lower when the patient gets a transplant from an unrelated donor, and-"

"Tyler, please."

The sincerity in Josh's voice put a lump in Tyler's throat.

"You're going to live through this."

Tyler was silent.

"You will. I promise."

Silence, silence, silence.

"Tyler? Are you still there?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Mhm."

Josh sighed on the other line, and Tyler found himself wishing that Josh were right here, right next to him.

"I wish you were here," He said aloud, surprising himself.

Josh breathed deeply, "I wish I were there, too."

Tyler listened to the sound of Josh's car rumble over the pavement. 

"We'll meet soon."

Tyler would like to believe that was true, but every time they tried to set up a time to meet, it just never seemed to work out. Somebody's friend needed help, somebody's relative came into town, or somebody's car broke down. 

And Tyler's heart ached to meet the man his blood pulsed for. Until then, he could only hope Josh felt the same.

"When?"

"Not sure. But it'll be soon, I promise."

Tyler knew Josh's promises were as sure as rain was wet.

"Okay."

The boy in his bed yawned and the boy in his car asked if he was tired.

He was, but he asked Josh to tell him everything that he was seeing in the road at the moment.

So Josh began to describe everything - from the position of the sun in the sky, to the potholes in the road that he just narrowly dodged.

Tyler fell asleep before he heard Josh liken the soft crunch of the gravel to the soft sound of Tyler's voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *takes a deep breath*

Two days after Josh had gone home from the donation center, they got a call. There was a match. 

 Up until then, the house was quiet and comfortable: everyone went about their usual routines, the only sound being the TV in the living room that Tyler's father was catching up on. 

Tyler sat on the counter in the bathroom, trying to stifle the nosebleed that interrupted his ukulele playing.

There was a quick rap at the door, and Tyler jumped, hopping down from the counter and opened the door.

"Ty! They found a match!" His mother exclaimed, wrapping Tyler into a tight hug.

"Wait, seriously!?" Tyler asked, struggling to keep his head tilted upwards. 

"Yes, seriously! Now hurry up, let's go!"

Tyler silently begged his nosebleed to stop as he got some socks and shoes on and headed out the door with his mother. Halfway to the hospital, the last of Tyler's blood left his nose, and he breathed deeply, despite his heart that beating rapidly in his chest. 

On the way there, Tyler's mother tapped her hand nervously on the steering wheel and told the boy not to get his hopes up: just because it was a match, didn't mean it was going to actually work.

Tyler told her not to worry as he pulled out his phone to text Josh what he was doing at the moment.

Josh asked how long the surgery would take. Tyler told him he wasn't sure, but he could remember the doctor telling him it was a mulptiple-day process.

Josh promised he'd be there.

::::

They arrived to the hospital, and Tyler was escorted by a nurse into a room that was divided in two by a curtain. He didn't know who was on the other side, but they had the TV on Jeopardy, and Tyler's heart hurt a bit.

She handed him a drab hospital gown and told him to change into it. He needed to remove all of his clothing beneath, and lay down on the bed when he was done. She exited the room and Tyler was so, so nervous.

There was a cold sweat in the palm of his hands when he laid down and took a deep breath, staring straight into the lightbulb that hung above him.

His heart was still beating rapidly, but his nose was not bleeding, so he considered that a win.

The nurse knocked on the door before walking in and asking Tyler a few questions. He answered them with softly spoken sentences, and he couldn't stop his mind from wondering when Josh was going to make it. 

When Tyler's mother entered the room, the nurse explained to them both that the surgery was not going to take place that day.

They exchanged a look.

"We need to condition him first," She stated simply, looking at Tyler's mother.

"How long will that take?" 

"Up to a week."

Another look was exchanged.

"A week?"

"Yes, ma'am," The nurse picked up a clipboard from beside the hospital bed, "I'll call Doctor Cooper in to explain the rest of it to you. He'll be here in a second."

And without another word, she left the room, closing the curtain to leave them privacy.

Tyler's fingers tapped furiously at the top of his other hand as he sat there, anxiously awaiting the doctor.

And when the doctor came in, there was only relief for about a second, before he explained the procedure they were going to have to put Tyler through before they could start the actual surgery. 

They needed to do Chemoradiation on him and - oh, that didn't sound good.

He felt slightly panicked, but desperately tried to keep his composure collected. 

Doctor Cooper explained the procedure, the side effects, and why it was extremely important that this take place before the surgery. 

His mother stepped out of the room to call her husband, and Tyler was just about to reach for his phone the screen lit up with a very familiar called ID.

He smiled as he brought it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ty. Are you guys at the hospital yet?"

"Yeah. I'm in one of the rooms now. In a hospital gown and everything."

"Aw," Josh whined, and Tyler fondly rolled his eyes, "Are they going to start the surgery soon?"

Tyler sighed and looked down at his feet that were starting to get cold now that he didn't have any socks or shoes on. He wriggled his toes and tried to build up some heat.

"No. I have to go through a conditioning first."

"What do you mean conditioning?"

"Like... Chemoradiation therapy. That kind of conditioning."

Josh was silent for a second.

"Oh. And they're gonna do that for a week?"

Tyler nodded, and then remembered that Josh couldn't see him, "Yeah. I have to stay in the hospital the whole time."

He heard Josh breathe deeply on the other side.

"You're going to come visit me, though, right?" Tyler asked, his voice soft.

"Yeah, of course," Josh didn't hesitate, "Of course I am. I was planning on leaving after work today, and heading straight there. I'll take time off of work so I can be there for the whole week."

"The whole week? You don't have to stay that long, if you don't want to," Tyler said, even though he hoped in his heart of hearts that Josh would scoff, and tell him of course he would stay the whole time.

And thankfully, Josh did just that.

"Tyler, I want to stay the whole week. Plus, it'd be the perfect opprotunity for me to finally see what you look like when you're not done up in front of a camera."

Tyler chuckled, "Done up? What - you think I do myself up for our webcam chats?"

Josh laughed, "Well, you have to. I mean, nobody just looks that good without any sort of prep."

Even though it was a ridiculous statement, Tyler still found himself blushing, "Whatever, you dork."

The curtain to Tyler's room was pulled back and his mom came through, a grimace in her expression. Reality fell back down around him, and suddenly Josh's laughter on the other line felt out of place.

"Hey - I have to get going, Josh. I'll see you soon though, right?"

"Yes, you will. I promise. Just text me the address to your hospital."

"Okay, I will. Until later."

Tyler could hear the smile in Josh's voice, "'Till later."

He bit his lip and hung up, texting Josh the address, and then placing his phone on the small, stainless steel table next to him.

His mother sighed and sat down in a plastic chair next to his bed, giving him a small smile.

"Was that Josh?" She asked.

He nodded.

"You told him everything?"

"Yeah. He's my best friend."

She hummed to herself and rested her chin on her hand, looking to the floor. She looked like she wanted to say something, but if she wasn't going to volunteer it, then Tyler wouldn't prod.

"He says he's going to come visit me in the hospital," Tyler offered.

She looked up a him, "Really? Today?"

"Not today. Probably tomorrow morning."

There was a silence.

"He wants to stay with me for the whole time I'm gonna be here," He said, his voice getting softer.

His mother simply looked at him.

"Did Dad tell you what I told him?"

There was no context to the question, but his mother immediately knew what he was talking about, as she nodded.

She placed a gentle hand on his forearm, "You know we don't mind, sweetheart."

Tyler nodded, "I know. I just wanted you to know."

She sighed deeply and looked back to the curtain that was being pulled to the side again, and Doctor Cooper re-entered the room, giving her a few waivers to sign. She read through each of them carefully, but ended up signing her name at the bottom of each one. 

The doctor gave them a quick recap of everything, and they both nodded along, paying apt attention. 

He then exited the room, and came back a few minutes later, this time with a nurse. Tyler squeezed his eyes tight as the nurse injected something into his arm, and then took a thin IV, and inserted it into a vein near his heart.

She then gave him another injection of a different liquid into the same vein in his arm, and after that he was done.

The needle was still prodding the area near his heart, and they told him that would stay inside of him throughout the conditioning.

He looked to his phone on the side table and he really, really, wanted to hear Josh's voice.

But the needle near his heart prevented him from moving too much, and he couldn't reach his phone.

So, instead, he laid his head back down on the pillow and was still, staring up at the ceiling. His mother was quiet, as she put a hand back on his forearm.

He looked over to her, and there were tears brimming her eyes.

"Mom," Tyler breathed, his chest deflating.

Her eyes flicked up to his and she tried to smile.

"It's okay. I'll be fine," He said, bringing his other hand to rest atop hers.

She let out a tortured chuckle and nodded, quickly wiping away a tear that fell down her cheek.

"I know you will," She said, despite her tone contradicting her.

Her smiled at her and she sighed, standing up to kiss him on the forehead.

"I'm going to go give your father another call. See when he and your brothers and sister will drop by. I'll be right back, okay?"

He nodded and she left the room with slow steps and a lack of confidence.

Tyler looked to the left where his phone buzzed with a text from Josh. His heart sank, because he knew he wouldn't be able to reply to it. He couldn't reach it, and there was no one else in the room to hand it to him.

So he sighed for what felt like the hundreth time that day and stared up at the ceiling, silently hoping that Josh would be here soon.

He closed his eyes and dreamed of seeing Josh.

::::

The next time Tyler woke up, he was _exhausted_. Not just in his heart, but in his veins, his bones, his entire body ached with a fatigue so strong it was almost painful. He wanted to go right back to sleep, but his mind was the only part of his body that was wide awake.

He blinked a few times and let his eyes adjust to the bright lights that flooded the room. He rolled his head to the left, and saw that it was pitch black outside. There was no one sitting in the plastic chairs, and whoever was on the other side of the curtain had the TV turned off (finally). 

And this time, the curtain was pulled back, so Tyler could clearly see the person laying in the bed with their eyes closed and their chest rising and falling steadily.

They looked female, but Tyler easily could've been wrong. They had their back towards him, and a thick blanket on. There appeared to be a tube that ran from their nose and attached to an oxygen tank on the side of their bed.

Right as Tyler was about to lift his head to get a better look at him/her, a nurse entered the room and went straight to the person's side, gently pushing their shoulder so that they were laying on their back.

"Nikki, c'mon. You need to take your medicine."

The girl squeezed her eyes tight, but other than that, she didn't move.

The nurse sighed, "Nikolaevna, wake up please."

Nikki (Nikolaevna?) opened her eyes slowly and blinked at the nurse who was sitting on the side of her bed.

She sighed and sat up, silently taking two tablets from the nurse and downing them both with a glass of water. 

When she handed the water back to the nurse, the woman got up and put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, "And no more sleeping on your side, okay? Only on your back."

The girl nodded, and went right back down to resting on her back.

She looked to her left and made eye contact with Tyler.

"Hi," She greeted with a hushed voice. 

"Hello," Tyler said back.

"How long have you been here?"

Tyler thought for a moment, "I got here this morning. What about you?" 

"This is my third week at this hospital. Before this one, I was at one in California for about a year," She said. Tyler didn't know where her accent was from, but it was so thick you would've thought this was her first day in America. 

"Oh wow. That's a long time," Tyler replied.

She nodded, "Yes, it is."

"So you're from California, then?"

She shook her head, "Russia."

"What made you move here?"

"The healthcare. It is not good in my country. The hospitals were dirty, they were not safe, and the doctors were not very good. It is more expensive over here, but it is worth it," She stated.

But Tyler was still curious, "So why did you come here from California?"

"The hospitals were full of a lot of people, all the time. They are not as busy over here."

Tyler pursed his lips and nodded, he turned his attention back to the ceiling, the tired ache in his bones asking him to go back to sleep.

"What's your name?" She asked.

He turned back to her, "It's Tyler. And you?"

"Nikolaevna. But you can call me Nikki. Everybody in America calls me Nikki, I don't mind."

Tyler blew a breath through his nose, "Nice to meet you, then, Nikki."

"You as well, Tyler."

And with that, Tyler turned his attention back to the ceiling and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and wondering how far away Josh was.

::::

Tyler woke up, and this time, the light that filled the room was more natural than artificial. There was a deep wave of nausea that had settled into his stomach, but thankfully someone had placed a trash can by his side at some point through the night. He leaned to the side and grabbed it, settling it on his lap, and feeling everything come up from his stomach and into the trash can.

He was still exhausted, and the bile coming up from his throat did not help. He pressed the red button in the remote that was attached to the side of his bed, and within seconds, there was a nurse by his side patting his back and letting him get everything out before she took the trash can and replaced it with a new one.

"Sorry," He mumbled.

"That's okay, this usually happens to patients who go through this kind of conditioning. Are you hungry?" The nurse asked.

Tyler shook his head.

The lady clicked her tongue, and Tyler realized that it was the same nurse that had taken care of him yesterday. "Alright. But later, we're going to have to get some food in you, alright?"

Tyler nodded as the nurse handed him a toothbrush and a bowl. Tyler scrubbed his teeth hard and spit it into the bowl, which the nurse then took away.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Tyler."

She left the room, and Tyler laid back, closing his eyes and willing himself to feel better. A mere few minutes later, Tyler heard the curtain being pulled back again, a he really hoped that no one was coming here to interact with him, because he was _not_ in the mood to talk.

"That's him, right there," He heard a female voice say.

"Okay, thank you."

Wait.

That voice sounded familiar.

Tyler shot up to a sitting position so quickly he thought he might throw up again right there. But, thankfully, he didn't.

And right before his eyes, there was a young man that stood tall - well, not that tall, but he stood confidently. His hair was dark blue, just as Tyler last saw it.

"Josh!" He exclaimed, not caring about the weird look Nikki shot him.

"Tyler!" He said right back, running by his side and bending down to embrace him in a long-overdue hug.

Tyler's bones were still heavier than lead, his mind was foggy, and his stomach was in knots, but he still managed to gather enough strength to wrap his arms around Josh, and bury his face in the crook of his neck.

There were tears that began to well up in his eyes and he felt like he might cry - he couldn't believe that Josh was _here_ , really here and really with him.

He smelled a new book; like fresh-cut wood, and Tyler didn't know why, but he was immediately enamored by it. 

Neither of them let go for a few long seconds, and Tyler swear that these were the best seconds of his life. Finally, they broke apart, and Josh sat down on the side of bed, still facing Tyler.

And there was another second or two of them simply looking at each other with equally awe-struck expressions.

"Wow," Josh breathed, "I can't believe this is real. I can't - I mean... you're here! But," He reached a hand out and wrapped it lightly around Tyler's arm, "I can feel you."

Tyler giggled, and didn't even try to stop the face-splitting grin that was almost forcing his eyes shut, "Yeah, that's how real life works."

Josh's face turned red and - wow, he was much prettier in person.

"How are you doing?" He asked in a soft tone as he brought his hand to rest atop Tyler's that was in his lap.

Tyler shrugged and looked down at their hands. Seeing their hands together - their warmth actually mingling made Tyler's heart do so many flips, he felt like his problems were meaningless.

"I'm okay," He bit his lip to try to stop himself from smiling so much, "Kinda naseous, but. I think I'm fine."

Josh frowned, and his eyes flicked to the tube that went from the side of Tyler's heart to a tall stand.

"Naseous? Because of the conditioning?" He asked, his eyes scanning the clear tube.

Tyler nodded.

Josh began stroking his thumb back and forth against the top of Tyler's hand, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry."

"I know," He met Tyler's eyes, and a warmth spread all across his chest. 

He suddenly didn't know how he had ever lived without Josh before.

"I'm just glad you're here," Tyler admitted softly.

Josh bit his lip and pulled Tyler back into a hug, and this time he was more mindful of the tube coming from his chest, as his grip wasn't as tight.

Tyler was thankful for it, but he was also slightly saddened by it.

"I missed you," Josh said.

Tyler chuckled, "You missed me? When?"

"All of the time."

"But how? This is the first time we've met in person."

Josh shrugged and pulled back again, but he still kept close.

"Not sure. I just know that I really, really missed you."

Oh, Tyler was sure he'd cry now. The warmth in his chest spread through to his fingertips, his toes, all the way to his head, and he knew it wasn't the medicine.

"I missed you, too," Tyler admitted, and Josh chuckled, due to the boy contradicting his own confusion.

Josh slowly brought a hand up to cup Tyler's jaw, and Tyler leaned into the touch, keeping his eye contact steady the entire time. 

"You're beautiful in real life. On camera, too, but... wow," Josh breathed, scanning every inch of his face.

Tyler was sure Josh felt the heat from Tyler's body increase significantly, as another smile threatened to take over his face, and he brought his eyes down to look somewhere around Josh's neck.

He mumbled a thank you, and when he looked back up, Josh was still staring deeply into his eyes and Tyler had never felt so exposed, but also so loved at the same time. His heart was full of something other than chemicals and he felt at home, right here, with Josh looking at him as if the rest of the world didn't exist.

Tyler placed his hand over Josh's that was still resting on the side of his face. He gripped it with his heavy muscles, and brought both of their hands down to rest on Tyler's lap. He encased Josh's hand in both of his - holding it like a prescious gem. 

While his gaze was still focused on their hands, Josh leaned forward carefully and kissed him on the cheek.

Tyler's eyes fluttered unexpectedly, but a soft smile grew on his face and he looked back up to the man and their faces were so close together, all he would have to do is move a few inches closer for their lips to meet.

The curtain was pulled back again, and they both jumped, as if they had forgotten that they were no the only ones in the world.

A nurse walked to the other side of the room, to Nikki, and handed her a tray of food.

The two exchanged a few sentences, and then the nurse came over to Tyler, checking his vitals. 

"How are you feeling, Tyler?" She asked, tapping a screen on the machine.

Tyler's eyes flicked back to Josh and he noticed that the boy had scooted back a bit.

"The same as usual," He said.

She nodded, "Any other symptoms besides the fatigue and nausea?"

He shook his head. 

"Okay. Good, then. I'll be back in a few minutes with some food for you, okay?"

He nodded, and she left the room again, heading righ into the next one.

Tyler turned back towards Josh who was still looking at their tangled hands.

"Sorry," He apologized.

Josh shook his head and scooted closer again, "You don't have to apologize."

Tyler pursed his lips and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked.

He nodded, the nausea in his stomach rolling around like waves on the beach.

Josh pulled him in for another hug, and Tyler at least knew that if he wasn't okay then, he would be once this was all over.


	5. Chapter 5

The week passed by so slowly, so painfully, that Tyler was sure the time was torturing him on purpose. 

Every time he woke up, he felt worse. He felt sick, he felt dizzy, he felt like there was constantly a force that kept his bones tied down, making all of his movements torturous. His parents visited, his siblings visited, and they all spoke softly to him. He was greatful.

They met Josh, and one morning, they told Tyler how much they loved Josh, how sweet he was, and how good of a friend he probably was. 

Tyler smiled and substantiated each of their claims with a soft smile and even softer words.

He was so, so happy that Josh was there, but deep down he felt ashamed that Josh had to witness him in such a sickened state. 

The boy claimed that he didn't mind, and Tyler knew he was telling the truth, but he still felt bad that he couldn't even bring himself to sit up for their conversations.

He faded in and out of consciousness, and sometimes woke up hurling into the bucket beside him. He had lost several pounds by the end of the week, and although the hospital staff tried their best to help him keep his meals down, a good portion of them came back up.

There was one day that he was awake, but he was so tired he didn't want to move his mouth. He held his arm out, palm facing up, towards Josh.

Josh raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do you need me to hand you something?" He asked, a crease of worry on his forehead.

Tyler shook his head and flicked his eyes from Josh's hand, to his hand, then back up to meet his eyes.

Josh brought his chair closer to the bed and Tyler clenched his fist, then opened it back up.

Josh's mouth formed a small 'o' as he put his hand on top of Tyler's, intertwining their fingers.

"Like this?" Josh asked.

Tyler nodded and let a small smile set on his face.

"Thank you," He whispered, his voice hoarse.

Josh brought Tyler's hand up to his mouth and kissed it, "Of course."

And then there was one day where his body was glowing with sweat, his mouth was dry, and his bones were made of lead when his doctor finally entered the room and told him that the conditioning was finished.

Tyler took a deep breath, and Josh pushed fringe out of his eyes. 

When the nurse pulled the tube from Tyler's chest, he squeezed his eyes tight at the odd feeling. She didn't take the IV from his arm, though, but he didn't question it, since he figured she knew what she was doing.

After two days had passed without the poision running through his veins, Tyler began to feel less nauseous and less exhausted, despite both of the symptoms still coursing through him.

Finally, finally, the doctor wheeled Tyler to the surgery room. His family said goodbye, he told them to stop being so dramatic, he would only be in there for a few hours, and Josh kissed him sweetly on the forehead.

He blushed, Josh thought it was cute, and Tyler felt warm.

Although he felt warm, his blood went cold when he was wheeled to the surgery room by himself. He was placed on a less-comfortable bed, and there were lights all around him, making it a struggle to keep his eyes open.

He wouldn't need anesthesia, they told him. This was not a painful process.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he reminded himself to ask who the bone marrow came from.

In the moment, though, he was petrified.

So he took a deep breath and subconsciously clenched his fist.

::::

When it was over, they wheeled Tyler back to his room and let him rest.

The entire time, Josh was by his side. When Tyler's family left for the night, Josh stayed.

Tyler wasn't painfully exhausted, but he was tired, and Josh understood. When the boy wanted to rest, he'd let him rest.

He was grateful.

On a night when the sun fell beyond Tyler's window, and he woke up just as the moon did,  he turned his head to the side to see that Josh had fallen asleep in the uncomfortable plastic chair. 

Tyler smiled softly and took a deep breath, his mind cycling through everything he felt in that moment, for that boy.

"Josh," He whispered, careful not to wake up Nikki, who had just fallen asleep.

But Josh didn't stir.

"Josh," He tried again.

Nothing.

Tyler looked around himself - there was not much he could reach for, being as though he still had an IV in his right vein. 

He reached behind his head with his left arm and grabbed his pillow, nailing Josh right in the face.

Josh woke up startled, blinking rapidly until his eyes settled on Tyler who had a hesitant grin on his face.

"Oh, hey," Josh greeted, rubbing his face in his hands.

"Hey. You sleep well?" Tyler asked, even though he knew the answer.

The other boy shook his head, "Not really. These chairs do _not_ make good matresses."

Tyler laughed softly, and Josh recirpocated his action, taking a deep breath as he finally came to his senses. He pulled his chair closer to Tyler, and placed a warm hand on the space right next to Tyler's hand.

Without moving his hand too much, Tyler stretched out his fingers so that their pinkies were linked. 

"How are you feeling?" Josh asked. 

Tyler shrugged, "I'm alright. Still kind of... sick. But not too bad. You can go home if you want. I probably won't be here much longer."

But Josh immediately shook his head, "No, I want to stay."

"But what about your job?" Tyler asked.

"I quit it."

"You what?!"

Josh laughed, "No, I'm kidding. Who would actually quit their job at the drop of a hat like that?"

Tyler giggled, "I could see you doing that."

"Maybe in another life," Josh replied with a chuckle, "I'm just using my vacation days to be here."

Tyler hummed to himself and looked down at their hands. He smiled softly, and met Josh's eyes only to find that he was wearing the same expression.

"I'm glad you're here," He admitted, looking back down at their hands.

Josh kept looking straight ahead at Tyler, "I'm glad I'm here, too."

Tyler bit his lip. He wasn't done.

"But..."

"But?"

"I kind of feel bad."

Josh furrowed his eyebrows, "Why?"

Tyler shrugged, "The first time we actually meet, and I'm..." He gestured to the hospital bed with his other hand, "In a hospital. I can't even do anything."

"Hey," Josh responded almost immediately, placing his hand fully on top of Tyler's, "That doesn't matter to me. I just like being here with you."

Tyler bit his lip, but did not meet Josh's eyes.

Instead, he studied the intricacies of Josh's hands, commiting every little detail to memory. He watched as Josh's thumb stroked back and forth on his hand. They sat there in silence, under artificial lighting that was so bright, the moon meant nothing.

"Do you remember the first song I played for you on my ukulele?" Tyler asked suddenly.

Josh nodded.

"Well, I just remembered the title."

"Just now?"

"Mhm."

"What was it?"

"It was a song by Elvis. Called _Can't Help Falling in Love_."

Josh did not say anything. He waited for Tyler to meet his eyes.

But Tyler didn't look up.

"What reminded you of that song?" Josh asked.

Tyler shrugged, "Your hand."

Josh looked down at where his hand was holding Tyler's tightly.

Tyler yawned, and Josh tried to keep himself from doing the same.

"You tired?" He asked.

Tyler nodded, still choosing to not make eye contact.

Josh got up and took a deep breath, "I'll let you get to sleep, then."

Although Tyler looked a bit sad by Josh's departure, he did not say anything.

Without a word, Josh sat down on the edge of Tyler's bed, facing him.

Tyler finally looked at him in the eyes.

Josh's eyes flicked back and forth between Tyler's, and then he carefully pushed hair back from Tyler's face, and brought his hand down to rest on the side of the boy's neck.

He leaned forward ever so slightly, so that his lips brushed the corner of Tyler's mouth.

"I'll be back tomorrow, alright?" He whispered as he pulled back.

Tyler nodded - there was no air left in his lungs.

One, two, three seconds passed by before Josh got up from the bed and headed towards the curtain, only hesitating for a fraction of a second, before pulling it back and walking through it.

Tyler sighed deeply and laid down on his back. The other boy had not even been gone for a minute, and the room already felt cold with the lack of his presence. 

Tyler closed his eyes, but his mind was still racing with things he wasn't even voluntarily thinking about.

"Hey," A voice whispered from the right.

Tyler lolled his head to the side, to see Nikki laying on her side and looking at Tyler head-on.

"You shouldn't be laying on your side like that," He reminded her.

She rolled her eyes, "Are you a doctor, now?"

He chuckled, "No, but I've heard our nurse tell you not to lay on your side."

She shrugged, "I'll be fine. Who was that that just kissed you?"

"He didn't kiss me," Tyler sighed, "He just... was saying goodbye."

Nikki blinked, "Is he your druzhok?"

"My what?"

"Your druzhok. I think you say boyfriend over here."

Tyler's eyes flicked to the clock on the opposite wall.

1:13a.m.

"Oh," He breathed, "No. He's not my boyfriend."

"Does he have feelings for you?"

Tyler shrugged.

"It looks like he does."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Tyler pursed his lips and turned back to rest his head against his pillow.

"Y'know, I had a druzhok back at home. He was very nice. I loved him," She said, her eyes flicking to the floor.

Tyler turned back to her, and his heart was weighed down by her sudden sad expression.

"But you had to leave him?" Tyler asked.

She nodded, "I didn't want to, but Mom said the United States had better health care for my condition."

Her mouth closed, but her gaze was still focused as if there was more she wanted to say. Tyler didn't push, but he didn't have to, as she began talking again.

"I miss him a lot."

Tyler felt like he was going to cry.

"We're too far apart now."

Tyler took a deep breath. He wasn't sure of what to say.

"I'm sorry," He said so softly he wasn't even sure if she heard him. 

But he knew she did, as she simply sighed.

"What's his name? Your druzhok?" She asked.

Tyler didn't bother correcting her a second time, "Josh."

Nikki hummed to herself, "Well, if you love him, then keep him close. Don't end up like me, Tyler."

Tyler furrowed his brows, "But it wasn't your fault you had to leave." He wasn't aware of why she was in the hospital exactly, but he didn't need to know, because nobody is ever here voluntarily.

She shrugged and turned on her back, "I know. But it doesn't make me feel any better."

Tyler looked at her for another moment before turning so that he was also on his back, facing the ceiling. 

_"If you love him, then keep him close."_

With a deep sigh, Tyler fell asleep - an ache still somewhere deep in his chest.

::::

Two days later, and a nurse was helping Tyler stand up. They had taken the IV from his veins, and his mother had brought him clothing for him to change in to.

Finally, he was leaving.

He'd have to come in for regular check-up appointments, but finally, he was going home.

Even though he was glad to feel the comfort of his own clothing and his own shoes again, there was a knot in his gut that didn't want to leave Josh.

They would've had to seperate eventually, Tyler just didn't think about it all that much.

Tyler's mother was just outside of the room, talking with the doctor, so when Josh  entered it was just the two of them.

When Josh entered, Tyler flicked his eyes to Nikki - she was asleep, the TV left on.

"It's kind of weird to see you in normal clothes now," Josh said, a chuckle at the end of his sentence.

Tyler pulled his black "OHIO" sweater over his head, "Yeah, I know. It feels nice, though."

Josh sighed and watched as Tyler adjusted his clothing until it was the perfect fit. When he looked up and they made eye contact, every question and worry was written all over Josh's face.

"What's wrong?" Tyler asked, taking a few steps forward so that they were a mere foot or so apart.

Josh shook his head, "Nothing. Just don't really wanna say goodbye."

Tyler's muscles were still heavy, his bones still aching, but he managed to stretch forward and wrap his arms around Josh.

Josh secured his arms around Tyler's neck in return, and buried his face in the crook of the boy's neck.

They both took a deep breath.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again," Tyler said. He vaguely registered a rustling from somewhere else in the room.

"I know. But still. We live too far apart," Josh commented, pulling his head back so that they were eye-to-eye.

Tyler immediately shook his head, "We're not too far apart. In fact, we're lucky that we're only a few hours away. We can still visit each other on weekends."

Josh sighed deeply, his eyes flicking back and forth between Tyler's, "Yeah. You're right. Still gonna miss you, though."

"Yeah, I guess I'll miss you too."

Josh scoffed, "You guess?"

"I'm kidding," Tyler laughed, "Of course I'll miss you, too."

Josh smiled, and boy was he really pretty. He wished he could stay in this moment, just the two of them forever. Although that was impossible, he could at least make the moment memorable.

So he moved his hands so that they were clasped right on the small of Josh's back, and he pulled him just a bit closer.

Josh took a step forward and leaned against Tyler so that their foreheads were touching.

No words were needed - only permission from the eyes, as Tyler tilted his head and connected their lips.

Warm lips, warmer breaths - everything on Josh was always warm, and Tyler was so, so in love.

Their mouths moved in unison, and Tyler brought one of hands to tangle in the back of Josh's hair.

Josh hummed low in his throat, and the sound plus the vibration went straight to Tyler's cock.

His mouth opened - warm and inviting, and Tyler let their tongues mingle, dance, whatever. His brain had left his head the second their mouths met. He felt like he could fly.

Tyler bit down softly on Josh's bottom lip, and Josh let out another, similar, noise as he pressed himself more fully against Tyler.

Neither of them registered the curtain being pulled open.

Someone cleared their voice, and the both of them disconnected quickly, forgetting that they weren't the only the only two people on the Earth.

"You ready to go, Ty?" His mother asked, a smirk somewhere behind her eyes.

He bit his lip and nodded, his face completely flushed a dark red. He picked his backpack up from the floor, and watched his mother leave the room again. 

Josh grabbed him by the wrist, "I'll see you soon?"

Tyler nodded, and walked right back up to him, planting a small kiss on his lips.

"I'll see you later, J."

"Tyler?" A voice came from the right.

Tyler snapped his attention and his heart dropped as he realized he almost forgot to say goodbye to another very important person.

He walked over to Nikki's bedside and leaned down to give her a hug, "Goodbye, Nikki."

"Will you visit?" She asked. Somewhere in the back if his mind, Tyler wondered if she had any other friends.

"Yeah, of course I'll visit," He said, "I'd love to hear more stories about how it was in Russia."

"Really?" She said, her eyes lighting up.

He nodded, "Yeah, really."

They exchanged contact information, and Tyler promised her he'd see her again soon.

Josh walked with Tyler out of the hospital, and kissed him lightly on the lips, waving goodbye as the boy drove off.

Tyler looked forward onto the road and sighed deeply, a smile stuck on his face.

His mother flicked her attention to him once, twice before she spoke up.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Good," Tyler responded, although his body was sore all over. 

She was silent for a second.

"So, you and Josh are... together?"

Tyler shrugged - his brain completely unfocused as his lips still tingled from where Josh's just were. His phone chimed from where it sat in his pocket.

_(3:13) Josh: I miss you_

Tyler snorted and rolled his eyes fondly.

_(3:14) Tyler: Whatever dude we just said goodbye, like, ten mins ago_

But then his thumbs hovered over his keyboard.

_(3:14) Tyler: I miss you too_

_(3:15) Josh: I knew it_

Tyler laughed, and the smile didn't leave his face for the entire day - even as he tucked himself into bed and turned the lights off, the smile was still there for no one to see but him.

::::

Tyler kept his promise. Not only was he planning on seeing Josh again, but Nikki was much closer, and he had no trouble visiting her when he could. He sat on a chair right by her and listened closely as she shut off her TV and told him everything she could remember about Russia - the people, the food, the places. She told him more about the boyfriend she had, and how they used to go on walks through the neighborhood together.

They didn't have much, but they didn't need much, she would tell him. 

She still held onto the hope of seeing him again one day, and Tyler's heart hurt for her.

He was still weak-boned, and for the first few days he was home, he felt dizzy.

It was two weeks before he was finally able to see Josh again.

Josh enveloped him in a tight hug, and kissed him passionately.

Tyler was sure there wasn't a better feeling.

Oh, was he wrong.

The first time Josh laid Tyler down carefully on the bed, Tyler flipped him over and assured him he wasn't fragile.

He proved himself correct as their bodies connected in every way possible, and Tyler went deeper and deeper until the other boy was arching his back off of the mattress and shouting his name.

And then, eventually, they both sat side-by-side with each of their laptops and logged into the game that they had to thank for their relationship in the first place.

Tyler squinted at his screen.

_YOUR TEAM:_

_Hitandrun98_

_Frankielovesguns_

_Karatekid_27_

_Spookyjim_

Josh turned to him and waggled his eyebrows playfully, and Tyler stole a kiss from him right before their match started, and Josh laughed heartily, stealing a kiss right back and then turning his attention to the game.

They continued stealing kisses, and only got through one round before the game was disregarded altogether, and then ended up pressed against each other on the couch.

But, really, neither of them would have it any other way.

:::

(One day, Tyler asked the doctor if they kept records of the surgery history.

Yes they did.

Tyler asked who his donor was.

A man named Josh Dun, the doctor said.

Tyler bit his lip and smiled. He thanked the doctor.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Please leave comments, I'd love to know what you all thought.
> 
> My tumblr is: Clinicallyforgotten. Drop by if you'd like to request a story or leave an ask, or such.
> 
> Stay alive, friends


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